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* AcclaimedFlop: This game is considered to be one of the best on the original Platform/{{Xbox}}. The sales sadly don't reflect this. According to the ''Psychonauts'' 2015 documentary however, the sales were not as bad as others claimed it was. Tim Schafer said everyone said it sold 100,000 when it sold 400,000. Things would also turn around when Double Fine's deal with the publisher Majesco expired, enabling the studio to release a slightly UpdatedRerelease through digital platforms such as Platform/{{Steam}}. According to Double Fine, opening up for digital sales increased the sales numbers with about 1.2 million, making the game into what be described as a bit of a (very) late blooming SleeperHit, and it actually ended up turning enough of a profit to partially fund the sequel.
* ActingForTwo:
** André Sogliuzzo voices both halves of a split personality, Fred/Napoleon Bonaparte, who argues with himself. With such ''drastically'' different accents and tone it's uncanny.
** There's also Nick Jameson as Coach Oleander, Dr. Loboto and [[spoiler:Mr. Pokeylope.]]
** Brett Pels plays Chloe, Maloof and Kitty.
** Creator/ColleenOShaughnessey as Nils and Crystal.
* AllStarCast: The voice cast is basically a who's-who of American voice acting. Among them are Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz, Creator/NikaFutterman, Creator/JessicaDiCicco, Creator/OgieBanks, Creator/LaraJillMiller, Creator/ColleenOShaughnessey, Crystal Scales, Nick Jameson, Creator/DavidKaye, Creator/StephenStanton, Creator/DarinDePaul, Creator/DwightSchultz, Creator/AlanBlumenfeld, Creator/AndreSogliuzzo, Creator/TaraStrong, Creator/SteveBlum, Creator/JoshKeaton, Julie Nathanson, Dave Boat, Creator/EarlBoen, and [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Armin]] [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Shimerman]]. One member of the cast, Creator/CristinaPucelli, later received [[RetroactiveRecognition retroactive]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse recognition]].
* ContentLeak: When the game was first released on Steam, dataminers discovered a document in the game files called the "Li-Po Backstory Document", which filled in details on several major characters; it got DummiedOut of the game's directory shortly after its discovery. While its canonicity has never been addressed by Double Fine and some of it has been rendered non-canon by ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'' (a lot of the lore about the Aquatos and Ford don't make sense in light of the events of the sequel, and Edgar's blurb in the document outright declares that someone else had a better idea for his backstory) other details-- like the names of Raz's family members and Lili's dad, as well as the backstories for Oleander, Boyd, and Gloria-- fit in with how the games have depicted the characters so far. If you're curious, you can read it [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IwTcL82rGelH6jU0N-EtwuOtduInBGOMlcZktnOhXvA/edit here]].
* CrossDressingVoices:
** Dogen, Nils, Maloof, J.T., Quentin, Vernon, Elton, and [[spoiler:Little Oly]] all had female voice actors (several of whose voice actors also voiced other, female characters).
*** According to WordOfGod, Double Fine originally tried to avert this, and attempted to use actual prepubescent boys to voice the characters, but the [[NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals child actors proved too difficult to work with]].
** Creator/StephenStanton as Bonita Soleil and Creator/DavidKaye as Linda are both men playing female characters.
* DevelopmentGag: In the intro for the game, Oleander, after unsuccessfully attempting to probe his mind, says that Raz's name "Starts with a 'D'." The protagonist's name was originally d'Artagnan. And this design for the protagonist also [[FreezeFrameBonus briefly shows up]] in the epilogue coming out of the outhouse.
* DevelopmentHell: The game was originally to be published by Microsoft as an Xbox exclusive, but dropped it. Majesco Entertainment ended up publishing the game, though that might have hurt sales since that publisher was best known for bad licensed ports.
* DummiedOut:
** [[https://tcrf.net/Psychonauts Unused voice lines]] hint that Milla's reaction to [[spoiler:her orphanage burning down]] could have been seen. On a lighter note, there are also lines of her apparently making out with Sasha.
** Multiple characters have reactions to PSI Powers that are only able to be seen via hacking.
* DVDCommentary: An iPhone app has been released of the memory vault pictures with an accompanying commentary track, featuring lead Tim Scafer and Scott Campbell, the artist who drew the images.
* MultiDiscWork: The PC version is split to five [=CDs=].
* NoPortForYou: Was released on the Platform/{{Xbox}} and Platform/PlayStation2 but not on the Platform/GameCube, which, despite being the least successful console of the generation (besides the Platform/SegaDreamcast), had an affinity for platformers. This likely didn't do the game any favors in sales [[note]]Although the game's large file size (about 4.5 GB) would have presented difficulties with the [=GameCube's=] 1.5 GB [=mini-DVD=] format[[/note]].
* PlayingAgainstType:
** Creator/DwightSchultz, famous for being a LargeHam in other portrayals, voices Crispin Whytehead with a dry, sardonic monotone.
** Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz is known for portraying over-the-top idiots like [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim Zim]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy Billy]], however Raz is calm, collected and the OnlySaneMan and rarely raises his voice.
* PreOrderBonus: [[https://twitter.com/jonahfalcon/status/741330508647436288 A deck of playing cards]] for the original Xbox version.
* ProductionNickname: The creature that teleports Raz between different locations in {{Mental World}}s is called Oatmeal by the developers, after a scene in ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' where one of the kids suggests the name "Oatmeal!" for Frosty.
* RefittedForSequel: A sequence from ''VideoGame/FullThrottle'' in which Ben experienced a [[MushroomSamba peyote-influenced hallucinogenic trip]], cut thanks to ExecutiveMeddling, served as the genesis for Tim Schafer's original concept for ''Psychonauts''.
* {{Tuckerization}}: A retroactive example: Tim Schafer's daughter Lili, who was born a few years after ''Psychonauts'' was released. Presumably Tim's fond of the name in general, but Lili-in-the-game now serves as a reference to real-life Lili.
* TroubledProduction: The game's production faced numerous delays and difficulties. It was originally supposed to be published by Microsoft, who later dropped the game due to the aforementioned delays along with disagreements with Double Fine on the game's direction. Fortunately, Double Fine was able to get Majesco to publish it instead, allowing it to be finished and released.
* VindicatedByCable: Though it sold very poorly when first released, it slowly built up a very positive reputation as a CultClassic among gamers, eventually becoming a consistent top seller on UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution services like Steam, even outside of sales. The video accompanying the crowdfunding effort for the sequel boasts that its total sales after all these years are 1.7 million, which would be an impressive number of sales for any game, not to mention a marked improvement over how it sold during its initial release.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Raz was originally conceived as an ostrich suffering from mental imbalance and multiple personalities. Tim Schafer killed the idea because he strongly believes in games being "wish fulfillments," guessing that not many people fantasize about being an insane ostrich.
** Originally there was going to be a subplot involving [[spoiler: the nightmares in Milla's mindscape getting loose and abducting campers]]. Due to time constraints, unacceptable levels of scariness, or the developers realising [[spoiler:Milla would never allow her own mind to endanger children]], the subplot was dropped -- but the bosses weren't, leading to ''no less than two'' [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Boss fights with one during The Milkman Conspiracy]]. [[spoiler:There are still Nightmares in Milla's mind, too, but they're firmly caged and controlled, posing no threat.]]
** According to the [[DVDCommentary official Vault Viewer commentary]], Milla was supposed to have mind control as a power at one point, but it was removed, as was [[http://tcrf.net/Psychonauts a lot of dialogue from her Dance Party]] [[spoiler: including her secret room]], including some that may have cemented the ShipTease mentioned earlier.
** The concept art for Gloria's Theatre shows much more detail than the actual level.
** Waterloo World originally had a small, functioning strategy game that would be played rather than the comparatively simple missions you're given, but it was taken out because it was boring.
** The game was originally intended to be exclusive to the original Xbox and published by Microsoft, but after Microsoft and Double Fine parted ways due to CreativeDifferences PC and [=PlayStation=] 2 ports were commissioned very late into development.
** The original protagonist for the game was a boy named d'Artagnan Alstublieft ("Dart" for short), who had blue skin and a big green hat. He was replaced with Raz because the developers found animating his hat difficult, as well as fearing audiences would mistake his hat for a ponytail and think he was a girl.
* WriteWhoYouKnow:
** Boyd Cooper is allegedly based on somebody Tim Schafer knew.
** Quentin's TotallyRadical way of speaking is apparently based on the way art director Scott Campbell talks.
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